How Koreans Say “I Heard That…”: –대요 Grammar with Free Korean PDF Worksheet
- My Korean Lesson
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
안녕하세요! Today, you will learn how to pass the information in Korean. You can use 대요 or 다고 해요 grammar. Let's check with me one by one. Don't forget to practice with the free Korean worksheet!
<Table of Contents>
1. 대요 Grammar
대요 is used to convey information you received from someone else. It is similar to saying:
“I heard that…”
“They say that…”
“Apparently…”
The key point to remember is this: You are not the original source of the information.
Originally, the structure was 다고 해요. However, people like to say things shortly, so in daily conversation, it was shortened to 대요.
비가 온다고 해요. = 비가 온대요. I heard it will rain.
You didn’t check the weather yourself—you heard it from someone or somewhere.
2. Conjugation
It can be attached to a verb/adjective/이다 or 아니다. Depending on where you attach, you have to think about the conjugation rules. It can be quite complicated, so follow me one by one!
Verbs - Present
Depending on the final consonant(받침), you need to attach either ㄴ대요 or 는대요. In this case, you don't have to worry about the irregular rules. You consider them as 받침o words.
Verb stem +ㄴ/는대요.
받침 O +는대요.
Simply attach 는대요 to a stem.
먹다: 먹는대요. I heard he/she/it eats.
읽다: 읽는대요.
잡다: 잡는대요.
And check out the below; they are usually irregular words, but not this time.
듣다: 듣는대요
짓다: 짓는대요.
돕다: 돕는대요.
받침X + ㄴ대요.
Attach ㄴ under the last stem and make the final consonant for it!
가다: 간대요.
자다: 잔대요.
마시다: 마신대요.
공부하다: 공부한대요.
ㄹ받침: Drop ㄹ + ㄴ대요.
Replace ㄹ with ㄴ.
놀다: 논대요.
살다: 산대요.
Verbs - Past
For past events, the tense 았/었/였 appears before –대요. Sound complicated? I will give you a quick tip! Make a past tense with 았/었/였어요 first, then replace 어요 with 대요.
먹다 to eat → 먹었어요. I ate. → 먹었대요. I heard he/she/it ate.
It's pretty easy if you've mastered the past tense already!
Verb stem + 았/었 + 대요
가다: 갔다고 해요 → 갔대요
먹다: 먹었다고 해요 → 먹었대요
만나다: 만났다고 해요 → 만났대요
공부하다: 공부했다고 해요 → 공부했대요
📌 –대요 itself does NOT show tense. The tense is carried by the verb.
Verbs - Future Plan
When reporting a future plan, intention, or prediction, Korean commonly uses: –(으)ㄹ 거래요. It is a shortened form of -(으)ㄹ 거라고 해요.
가다 → 갈 거라고 해요 → 갈 거래요
먹다 → 먹을 거라고 해요 → 먹을 거래요
공부하다 → 공부할 거라고 해요 → 공부할 거래요
So –간대요 and –갈 거래요 can both refer to the future, but –(으)ㄹ 거래요 more explicitly reflects a future plan or intention.
Adjectives - Present Tense
Good news. Conjugating adjectives is much simpler than verbs! No matter how it ends, you attach 대요 to a stem.
Adjective stem + 대요.
맛있다 → 맛있대요 I heard it is tasty.
예쁘다 → 예쁘대요 I heard it is pretty.
춥다 → 춥대요 I heard it is cold.
비싸다 → 비싸대요 I heard it is expensive.
어렵다 → 어렵대요 I heard it is difficult.
Adjectives - Past Tense
To report a past state or description, use the normal past tense first, then attach 대요.
Adjective stem + 았/었대요.
예쁘다 → 예뻤다 → 예뻤대요
춥다 → 추웠다 → 추웠대요
맛있다 → 맛있었다 → 맛있었대요
어렵다 → 어려웠다 → 어려웠대요
N이다
When the sentence being reported contains 이다(to be), use:
Noun + (이)래요
This comes from:
Noun + (이)라고 해요 → Noun + (이)래요
The choice between –이래요 and –래요 depends on whether the noun ends in a consonant.
A. Noun ending in a consonant → –이래요
학생이다 → 학생이래요
한국 사람이다 → 한국 사람이래요
선생님이다 → 선생님이래요
그 사람이 학생이래요.
I heard that person is a student.
B. Noun ending in a vowel → –래요
의사이다 → 의사래요
친구이다 → 친구래요
가수이다 → 가수래요
그 사람이 의사래요.
I heard that person is a doctor.
N이/가 아니다
아니다 follows the reported form based on 아니라고 해요:
Noun + 이/가 아니래요
이/가 is depending on how a noun ends. If it ends with the final consonant, use 이. If not, please attach 가.
받침O: 학생(a student) 학생이 아니라고 해요 → 학생이 아니래요
받침X: 의사(a doctor) 의사가 아니라고 해요 → 의사가 아니래요
Examples:
그 사람은 학생이 아니래요.
I heard that person is not a student.
3. Sentence Information
When NOT to use –대요
Do not use –대요 for:
Your own experience
Your personal opinion
Facts you are certain about
X 이 식당 맛있대요. (when you ate there)
O 이 식당 맛있어요.
대요 Vs. 데요
데요 → “I noticed/experienced it.”
대요 → “Someone said it.”
민수가 한국에 간대요.
→ Minsu says he is going to Korea.
민수가 한국에 갔던데요.
→ I noticed that Minsu went to Korea.
If you want to learn more about it, please click here to read my other post.
4. Examples
1
아침에 뉴스를 봤어요. 오후에 비가 온대요.
I watched the news in the morning. It will rain in the afternoon.
뉴스 news, 봤어요-The past tense of 보다 (to watch/to see/to look), 아침 morning, 오후 afternoon, 비가 오다 rain to come
2
요즘 이 카페가 인기가 많대요.
I heard this café is very popular these days.
요즘 these days, 카페 café, 인기 popularity, 인기가 많다 be popular
3
엄마가 오늘 늦게 온대요.
My mom said she'll come home late today.
엄마 mom, 오늘 today, 늦게 late
4
사람들이 그 영화가 재미있대요.
People say that movie is interesting.
사람들 people, 영화 movie, 그 that, 재미있다 to be interesting
5
지난주에 시험이 어려웠대요.
I heard last week's test was difficult.
지난 주 last week, 시험 test or exam, 어렵다 to be difficult
5. Wrap-up & Free Worksheet
–대요 is one of the most useful grammar patterns for sharing information you heard from someone else. It is commonly used in everyday Korean and is often translated as “I heard that…,” “They say…,” or “Apparently…”.
The most important thing is to remember that the form changes depending on the type of word. Practice the conjugation using the free worksheet I've made for you!
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